Juno Recommends Balearic / Downtempo April 2020

Review: A couple of years ago French crate digger Charles Bals invited us to "Club Meduse", an imaginary Riviera club where the music was always obscure, European and decidedly mid-80s. Here he opens the doors once more, delivering an open-air friendly soundtrack heavy on rare private press gems, overlooked beauties and the kind of cuts that most would consider Balearic (even if they may have been more popular in Italy and France). Highlights are plentiful, from the eccentric instrumental of Voyage De Charme's fretless bass-powered "Hotel Des Savanes" and the soft-focus, flamenco-tinged bliss of Claude Miss' "Paco Ye Adama", to the sun-kissed jazz-funk/synth-pop fusion of Marc Et Frank's "Cap'tain Coke" and the reggae-zouk quirkiness of Les 36 15's "Zoulous! (Remix)".

Review: The first Jura Soundsystem-helmed set, "Transmissions One", was arguably one of the compilations of 2018, so hopes are sky-high for this sequel. As with its predecessor, "Transmissions Two" features a mix of tracks never before seen on vinyl (see Carl Craig's astonishingly good ambient cut "C Beams Glitter"), quirky but brilliant obscurities and a smattering of Jura Soundsystem re-edits. There's much to enjoy throughout, with highlights including the deep electro warmth of Bochum Welt's "Greenwich (Mix 2)", the slo-mo space boogie of Hitman's "Future Times", David Arch's obscure Afro-synth jam "Afro Culture" and Jeff Bridges' "Feeling Good", a bizarre combination of new age ambient sounds and self-help spoken word vocals from "The Dude" himself.

Review: Since debuting on the sadly departed Aficionado label six years ago, Mikhail Khvasko's A Vision Of Panorama project has become one of the more reliable sources of sun-kissed Balearic soundscapes. He's in a particularly cheery and positive mood on this first outing of 2020, confidently skipping between jazz-funk influenced Balearic boogie (tasty opener "Atlantic Dawn"), late-80s style deep breakbeat haziness (the swelling chords, toe-tapping beats and Nu Guinea style synthesizer flourishes of "Mediterranean Tribal"), languid sunrise warmth (standout "Sentimental Coast", whose twinkling piano solos are sublime) and bubbly, synth-propelled jazziness (the similarly awesome "Vibechos"). In other words, it's another must-have collection of cuts from a modern Balearic maestro.

Review: Anders Midtgaard is one of the leading proponents of the Balearic vibe in Denmark, alongside the likes of Kenneth Bager and Mike Salta. He inaugurates the Fantastic label with this beautiful summer groover, leading in with a plush remix from Italian maestro Luca Moplen. It's a feistier affair than Midtgaard's ever-so-slightly hazy original version, but both retain the core chord sequence that makes this such a heart-rending beauty of a track. The B side opens up with said original mix before Salta is then drafted in for a remix that leaves the disco locomotion behind for a breezier samba groove over which to play some delightfully warbling keys.

Review: London based Brazilian artist Laima is back after her Home album with two new version of tracks form it. They have been mixed and engineered by the Soulwax brothers and feature the combined Tonal + Rhythmical versions of 'Disco Pregnancy' and 'Home'. Each one is a creepy and alluring affair with Laima's vocal and synth tracks on the 'Tonal' disc alongside Iggor's beats on the 'Rhythmical' record both designed to be played at the same time for full effect. It's wonderfully weird and straddles a dark disco, wave, EBM line that is utterly compelling.

Review: The Anything Goes "Rollover Edit Service" continues apace with this latest grip of four unique choices of forgotten disco treasure to get a 2020 spruce up. Ferraroni is on "Le Soleil Bateau", a sunkissed schooner by any measure with a Balearic tint in the easy tempo and cheery disposition. Jacques Renault brings equally slick vibes with "NYC Lights", which teeters between yacht rock and synth pop to perfection. Makossa's edit of "Dio Come Ti Amo" is a more reflective cut, subtly dubbed and revolving around an introspective guitar hook. Pasta brings the tempo back up with a version of "Di Di No" that will have party people young and old dancing in unison.

Review: The Robot84 team of Andy Williams and Scott Ferguson have already struck gold on a number of occasions with their cool and deadly disco edits, and they're at it once again with this scene-approved dose of peak time party fuel. "V's King Supreme" is a cheeky, feel-good disco house burner with all the funk poured in and the campness bursting out like a glitter fountain. "V's Miss Siam" is a fierce Italo thumper with a pulsing arpeggio and spine-tingling synth licks on top. "Automatic (Remix)" is a smart and snappy slice of electronic disco while the "Balearic Re-Work" of TT's "Dub Inside" smooths things out with an early 90s flavoured baggy roller par excellence.

Review: They don't come much classier than Claremont 56, a label that deals in famously horizontal sounds that are superbly high quality. Deep88 is an Italian with a loveably analogue sound that is steeped in sunset house vibes. Add the two together and you have a perfect match. The a-side here finds Deep88 turn DJ Rocca and Leo Almunia's "Ever Changing Bubbles" into a lush Ibizan beach scene with sweet yacht rock riffs, warm drums and vocals that add an exotic feel. They're removed on the dub which is even more hypnotic.

Review: There are few signs of 'difficult second album syndrome' to be found on "Through Water", Lapsley's confident and assured follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2016 debut "Long Way Home". This time round the former teenage prodigy has written and produced pretty much everything on the album, delivering a suite of songs that effortlessly blur the boundaries between glacial electronica, off-kilter synth-pop, R&B and folktronica. There are some moments of real beauty scattered throughout - see the rather fine "Leeds Liverpool Canal" for starters - while the way her distinctive vocals are matched by inventive and enjoyable musical arrangements is mighty impressive. Sure, there's nothing as rush inducing as club hit "Operator", but what's here is every bit as alluring.

Review: Their famous mix series might be gone but fabric continue to offer fantastic physical products in the form of their own Presents serve. It is Maribou State who take care of this one and are a fine fit having plated the club many times in their early years. They use it as a chance to serve up a sweaty, peak time mix that draws on sounds you might not necessarily hear in the club itself. It features some of their own new music in the form of "Mother", "Strange Habits" and a rework of Radiohead's "Reckoner".

Review: Where he once mused on love and longing, Norwegian experimental pop and electronica artist Gundelach spends much of "My Frail Body" delivering music (and in some cases lyrics/vocals) inspired by the recent birth of his first child. While his music always feels thoughtful, mellow and glacial, there's certainly many more joyous melodies and positive synth sounds to be found across the album, which also utilizes field recordings, quirky electronic beats, occasional nods towards more up-tempo styles (early Biosphere style deep techno and drum & bass in particular) and copious amounts of both reverb and delay. The resultant set is as impressive and enjoyable as anything the Oslo-based artist has released to date.